


Ladder to the Stars

by ohyelyah



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Grief, M/M, Romance, Time Travel, Time Turner, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28534326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohyelyah/pseuds/ohyelyah
Summary: Eleanor Aries finished school at Ilvermorny two years ago and was feeling unfilled with her life. She grew up with just her mother and no information about her father except that he died soon after she was born; not even his name. She needed to know more. Her mother knew she wasn't the person she needed and gave her an address and a name that might help.Harry Potter: Godric's Hollow.Eleanor shows up on his door asking about her father. That is when she runs into blue-hair and sweet boy Teddy Lupin. They become fast friends and Eleanor finds she quite enjoys England and finds a job at the Ministry working with confiscated magical items.One day she stumbles upon a time-turner. Without thinking she slips it into her pocket and shows Teddy. She proposes a wild- a wildly crazy and stupid-plan that even good mannered Teddy can't refuse.They soon find themselves at 1978 Hogwarts face to face with the men they have dreamed about since they were kids. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.Eleanor and Teddy find themselves learning more about their fathers than they ever thought they could. And with each passing day it becomes harder and harder for them to return to the future.
Relationships: Andromeda Black Tonks/Ted Tonks, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, wolfstar - Relationship
Kudos: 4





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I've been sitting on this story for a while now, and I finally got up the nerve to write it. I hope you enjoy!

_Cold is the water_

_It freezes your already cold mind Already cold, cold mind_

_And death is at your doorstep_

_And it will steal your innocence_

_But it will not steal your substance_

_But you are not alone in this_

_And you are not alone in this_

_As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand_

_Hold your hand_

_And you are the mother_

_The mother of your baby child_

_The one to whom you gave life_

_And you have your choices_

_And these are what make man great_

_His ladder to the stars_

_But you are not alone in this_

_And you are not alone in this_

_As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand_

_Hold your hand_

_And I will tell the night_

_Whisper, "Lose your sight"_

_But I can't move the mountains for you_

_-Timshel by Mumford and Sons_

People watching was something Eleanor always enjoyed. She made sure there was time in her day to stare out her window onto the busy streets below and wonder about the lives and stories of each person that passed by. She would sometimes be there for hours, much to her mother's dismay, quietly building stories upon stories in her head. Right now, she was focused on a man smoking a cigarette by the street. He wore khakis and a button-down shirt; professional, but approachable. Definitely didn't work in wall street. Business start-up? What she did know is that he was way too young to be smoking. While her and her mother did not own a television, she lived in a city where advertisements were around every corner. She was fully aware the effects of a cigarette, as should any person under 35. And this man, _Steve_ , the name for him in her head now, was most certainly under 35. That means he must be in pain. Anyone who smokes now a days, who is young enough to know better, uses it as a coping mechanism. What demons was he trying to ward off? Eleanor thought maybe drugs, but she did not pin him down as that. The stress of a working in a small start-up company getting to him? That's a possibility. No, that wasn't it at all.

The man pulled out his phone just then, unlocked the screen and stared at it for quite some time doing nothing. And then he locked it and put it back in his pocket taking another drag of his cigarette. _Aha_ , Eleanor thought. _Love_. It's always love isn't? At least that is where her mind always took her when she watched people. Love was the driving force of all our decisions. Eleanor concluded that this man was heartbroken. He wanted to reach out to his lover, but instead opted for the sweet taste of nicotine to soothe the aching pain that was located on the left side of his body just under his ribcage.

Now the story further began to unfurl. Who hurt who? Did he make the mistake and is too stubborn to apologize? Is he the one waiting for the apology? Just as her story was getting good, she heard a soft knock on her door.

"Eleanor?" the soft voice her mother echoed against the closed wooden door. Eleanor was broken away from Steve to turn to the door.

"Yes?" Eleanor's mother, Celeste, walked in and with her hand still on the doorknob she looked at what Eleanor had been doing and put her other hand on her hip.

"Eleanor, please come out of your room and interact with me. I hate seeing you locked up like this. You never used to be this way." This was true. Ever since Eleanor left school, she wasn't the bright and sharp-witted daughter Celeste raised. Over the last two years Eleanor has become quiet and melancholy. At first, she thought it was Eleanor grieving her childhood and her time spent at school with her friends, but Celeste knows there's more. There's always more when it came to Eleanor.

"Mom, I'm ok. Just a busy day at work, I'm just tired. No need to worry." She reassured her mom still sitting at the edge of her window, "I'll come out there in just a minute"

Celeste was not convinced. With a deep sigh Celeste moved into Eleanor's bedroom and sat at the edge of her bed. The room used to be a teenage girl's room, with posters on the wall of famous unattainable men, the floor was always covered with at least an inch of clothes, and for Eleanor's case her desk and bed were always filled with new books or sheets of paper that Eleanor scribbled sketches or stories on. Now this room belonged to a 20-year-old young woman who seemed to be stagnant in her life. The posters were down, Eleanor gave away most of her clothes seeing as a majority of them were not work appropriate, and the sketches and books were either tucked away in her desk or neatly arranged on her bookshelf collecting dust.

Eleanor knew that sigh. She knew everything about Celeste. It was just them since she was a baby. They spent every waking moment together, that is until Eleanor was sent off to school. But even then, Eleanor wrote to her mom every chance she could recounting the tales of her life at Ilvermorny. Being so close meant that Eleanor knew what every tick, every facial expression, every _sigh_ meant in regard to her mother. Eleanor knew after that sigh was a talk. An infamous Celeste talk, where she somehow was always able to goat Eleanor into revealing the truth. Maybe it was how Celeste was so soft spoken, never raising her voice, or the gentle brown eyes that seemed the resemble almost puppy dog eyes. Or maybe it was the fact that Eleanor hated seeing her mother upset. She loved her, more than words could ever say. If Eleanor could protect her from all the evils of the world, she would. That means, if Eleanor was the one causing Celeste pain, Eleanor couldn't bare it.

"Mom, please. I know what you want from me. Please don't give me those eyes. It just hurts me more," Eleanor rolled her eyes and sighed as well, "I hate my job"

"Is it not what you expected?" Celeste inquires, glad that her daughter is finally opening up to her.

"I guess...I just thought at this point I wouldn't be doing meaningless paperwork. It's just so boring and unfulfilling," Eleanor rants. It was true, she absolutely hated her job. Which was annoying, because she loved the department. Eleanor was able to score a job in the Department of Confiscated Items at the Magical Congress of the United States of America. The idea of illegal magical items thrilled her. She always been one to seek adventure and to learn more, this job seemed right up her ally. However, she quickly became aware that no matter what world you lived in; sexism thrived no matter what.

Her boss, a short, rounded man with a thick mustache that always seems to catch whatever lunch he ate that day, put her in charge of filing the paperwork and she never actually got to see or touch any of the confiscated items. For the first few months, she bit her tongue promising silently to herself and her boss that she would prove herself. Three months became six, six months became a year, and now almost two years later she is still stuck in the corner of the office filing away paperwork. While she still would have been pissed, she would not have been as upset as she is now if she wasn't aware of her male counterparts quickly moving up in the department. Many of them left Ilvermorny the same year as her, and they have progressed far more than she has. Now that she's thinking about it, did they ever file any paperwork?

"Oh honey, I'm sorry. The real world really is a rude awakening. You know there is not much I can do on that front. However, you can make your life outside of work more interesting. You just coop yourself up in your room all day staring at the window feeling sorry for yourself." Celeste said tapping the bed where she sat inviting Eleanor to join her. Eleanor obeyed and sat down next to her move, her head involuntarily going to rest on her shoulder. Celeste began to comb through Eleanor's long jet-black hair. Ever since she was young, Celeste always played with Eleanor's hair, especially when she was upset. It soothed her quickly from any tantrum she had as a toddler and even now at twenty years old, the weight on shoulders began to lift with each stroke her mother did to her hair.

"Why don't you start reading again? Or writing, I've always loved your writing and drawings" Celeste countered.

Eleanor hummed back, "mmm, yeah, I guess. Feel no inspiration for writing now-a-days,"

That was lie. She was always making up stories from the people on the street, it wouldn't take that much effort to write them down. But that wasn't the story she wanted to tell. Those weren't the people, or _person_ , she wanted to know.

They were silent for a while, Celeste gently brushing through her daughter's hair with her delicate fingers. Eleanor felt at peace, at least for a moment. Celeste could always do that for her.

"I know there's more you need to say but I won't push anymore. But just remember I'm here when you are ready," Celeste finally spoke and kissed her on the head. With that she got up and closed the door behind her.

Of course, she knew. Celeste always knew. Mother's intuition, I guess.

Eleanor flung herself back on to her bed and groaned into her hands. Eleanor was brave, she always had been. But this, this _thing_ , she couldn't bring up with her mother paralyzed her. Deep down she knew she didn't fear the reaction of Celeste once she asked. Celeste would be confused, maybe, but never angry with Eleanor. No, the reason she feared it the most was because Eleanor didn't know if she actually wanted to hear what Celeste would say back.

_Tell me about my father._

A simple request, but one that would open old wounds. And might create more. It was like Eleanor was holding a loaded gun in her back pocket. She's never seen a gun in real life before, but she imagines it to be just as scary as she imagines it.

Eleanor never knew her father and Celeste never spoke on it. Until now, it never bothered her. She was more than content with her life just with her mother. She didn't need a father figure in her life to make it complete. Celeste was there and that was all that mattered. All she did know was that he died around the time she was born. The only information Celeste gave. I guess it was a way for Eleanor not to question if her father was out there in the world and not with them. And it did, for a while.

But now without the noise and distraction of childhood and school, Eleanor has been forced to actually listen to the thoughts and the whispers that chatter in the back of her head relentlessly. There was another half to her. Another person that made her, made her who she is. And she doesn't even know his name.

Her and Celeste are similar in so many ways, there's not doubt about that. But Eleanor was far less demure. She was loud, stubborn, quite obnoxious if she wanted to be. At least that's what people told her at school. It never bothered her though, she just laughed it off and continue to make jokes about their professor in the back of the classroom while they were teaching. Celeste would never do such a thing. That's where the seed was planted. Her father must have been this way. Or was he not, and Eleanor is just simply annoying on her own terms? Celeste hated broccoli, Eleanor could eat a plate-full of them if she wanted. Did her father also enjoy broccoli?Celeste, whenever she was mad, was rational and also thought about the words she spoke. Eleanor seemed to never keep her mouth shut and had a hot temper, which result in her snapping on even her closest friends if she was in a bad mood. Did her father also have the same affliction? These types of questions plagued her mind since she left school. She was at her breaking point now. She needed to know. But would Celeste give her the answers she wanted?

She felt by asking Celeste it would be telling her that her parenting wasn't enough. But it was, she would never ask for a life than the one she was given, but she can't go on like this much longer. She can feel herself slowly rotting away from the inside. The light she once had is dimming. It's all becoming too much for her.

_Tonight._

She decided. She had to be brave. She was being ridiculous. The five foot two women on the other side of the wall is nothing to be afraid of. Eleanor finally got up from her bed and went back to her window just for one more glance. She glanced down to where Steve stood, which had now been deserted except for one lone butt of a cigarette smashed into the pavement.

Another story left unfinished. 


	2. Part Two

"Please Mom, just anything!" Eleanor was close to collapsing on her knees, begging Celeste for information on her father right in the middle of their small living room. After Celeste left her to her thoughts, she finally got the courage to ask what has been plaguing her for her 20 years of living on this earth.

"Eleanor..." Celeste tried to turn away. She was not surprised at the question. If Celeste was being honest, she thought it would have come sooner. She's not naïve. She knows this conversation was going to eventually happen. It needed to; however, she didn't realize how hard it was going to be.

"No. Don't 'Eleanor' me. I have been quiet all my life about this. And I don't regret it. I was-I _am_ -happy with the life you gave me. But I'm not a kid anymore, I can handle whatever the truth is. I need know what happened. I mean hell, I don't even know this man's _name_." Eleanor was now pacing in front of Celeste, who was sat on the edge of their couch with her hands clasped in her lap.

"Ori—"

"Do not call me that, you know I hate that name," Eleanor quickly chided.

" _Eleanor..._ you are right. It's not like I want to hide this from you forever. But it's so complicated. And I didn't even know him that well, I don't know what I could say to help,"

"You didn't know him? You knew him well enough to conceive me, so don't give me that bullshit," Celeste narrowed her eyes at her after that comment. But she stayed silent because she knew she deserved it. Eleanor's feelings were valid.

"Can you at least sit down; your pacing is making me nervous" Eleanor stopped and cautiously sat next to her mother on the couch and stared at her with those piercing grey eyes.

Celeste knew from the moment Eleanor was born that she was her father's daughter. From the black hair, the grey eyes, and as she grew up her whimsical and erratic personality were all gifts from her father. Of course, being raised by someone so demure and kind-hearted as Celeste, Eleanor gained those traits as well, but there was no denying that she a spitting image of the man Celeste had a small affair with 20 years ago.

"20 or so years ago, I decided I wanted to travel around Europe. I was much like you, feeling quite unfilled in my life so I thought a little adventure would help. That's when I met your father. We weren't supposed to meet...we shouldn't have given his condition..."

"condition?"

"... _anyways_ , we stumbled upon each other one night in London and we hit it off right away. It was small and short affair. We cared deeply for each other very quickly, but we knew it was never meant to last. Did Ilvermorny teach you about the war over there?"

"Briefly in our world history lessons..." Eleanor responded. She didn't want to say more, she knew that her mother was being open and vulnerable with her and she didn't want to ruin it with her big mouth. She also knew the longer she was quiet, the more chance she had of getting more information out of her.

"Well, your father was in some ways, at the very heart of it. That meant it was extremely dangerous to be around him. He was good man, if not the best man I ever met, but his life was difficult and complicated that time. That was why we had to be secret, and why eventually we had to end it. He was the one that forced me to come back to the states. He knew that things were getting worse over there and he worried for me, didn't want me to get involved. Worried that the wrong people might find out about me, so he made me promise to leave and not look back. After I returned to New York, I soon found out I was pregnant with you. There was no way to contact him though. He didn't want to be found and it would have been very bad if he had. He died soon after you were born, I always kept up with the news over there and one day I found his death on the front page of the newspaper." Celeste took a deep breath. She's never talked about her time with him, ever.

"Thank you. For telling me this." Eleanor said, grasping her mother's hand. She could see the pain in her mother's eyes. She knew how hard it was for her, "How important was he in the war? Why couldn't he be found?"

"I'm not the one that should be answering those questions,"

"I'm confused what you are saying, mom." Eleanor eyed her mother as she stood up from the couch and went into the kitchen to open a drawer. She pulled out a pen and paper, sat at their dining table and began to write. They were silent for a while, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Celeste spoke from the dining table.

"You know why I gave you the name you have today? The name you seem to hate so much?"

Eleanor did not know why, and her mother knew this. She rolled her eyes and turned around on the couch with her head rested on the back, "You know I don't."

"It was your father's middle name. Even though we had no contact before your birth, I still felt like he had to be honored. And part of me hoped that after the war, he could have met you. After his death, it was painful to call you your first name because it only reminded me of him, that's why I started calling you by your middle name." She spoke. She was done writing whatever she needed to on her paper and was now looking back at Eleanor from the table.

Eleanor stared wide eyed. She had no idea. She just assumed her mother thought it was funny to name her after a star, since their last name was Aries. _Star Star_.

"I don't think I am the right person to tell his story...but I know of someone who is," Celeste said hesitantly. She tapped the paper, which led Eleanor to stand up and follow her mother to the table. Before she could look down, Celeste grabbed her hand then cupped her daughter's face with the other.

"Orion Eleanor Aries, you are the greatest gift that I was given on this earth. I wish I was enough for you. I tried to be, and I think I did a damn good job. But there is so much more you need that I can't give you. I am going to give you the name and the address to someone who can tell you all about your father. It is your decision if you want to go to him. I will not be angry with you," Both Celeste and Eleanor's eyes had gone misty. Their love for each other vibrated through them and Eleanor quickly bent down and gave her mother a tight hug.

"You were enough. You always will be. But I will not be enough if I don't follow this lead. Thank you for this," she whispered in her mother's brown hair, "and for the record, you are my greatest gift as well,"

Celeste kissed Eleanor on her cheek, and they held each other for a while. Finally, Eleanor got up and Celeste folded the paper, the key to Eleanor's past and future, and handed it to her.

Celeste gave her daughter one final look. And as Eleanor was walking away, she said, "You really are his daughter. Go discover and learn all about Sirius Black for me."

 _Sirius Black._ Eleanor thought, _Sirius Orion Black, actually._

Eleanor went to her room to open the paper. She needed privacy, and Celeste did too. She made her way over to her big open window that looked across the busy streets of the city. She didn't even bother to look down at the people, she had what she had been searching for in the palm of her hands. She took a deep breath and with shaky hands unfolded the paper and read it.

_Harry Potter. Godric's Hollow._


	3. Part Three

It didn't take her long to decide to go. The only thing that was stopping her, was her job; however, this was the perfect opportunity to leave. She didn't enjoy it, she never did. She also saved up enough money from living with her mother for the last two years, so a few months not working didn't hurt so bad for her wallet.   
  


She wasn't expecting to stay in England for months. Eleanor figures that she would be lucky if Harry- _Harry Potter-_ was nice enough to give her at least an hour of his time. She didn't fully understand the relationship between him and her father and didn't even know how much information he had on him. After Celeste told him his name, she went to one of the local libraries by the Congress building to try and look more up on Harry and Sirius. She remembers vaguely learning about the Wizarding War in her World History lessons at Ilvermorny and the infamous boy with the lightning scar, but Eleanor found History quite boring and she spent most of the time reading her own books under the desk or cracking jokes with her friends to pass the time.

That's how she ended up at the library, and she was able to figure more about Harry rather than Sirius. He was an enigma. The only thing she could find is that he was wrongfully prisoned for a few years and then joined the Order of the Phoenix after his escape. Order of the Phoenix was a secret society that fought the dark wizard, Voldemort, who Eleanor also remembered from school. She mostly remembered because she could not take the wizard seriously with that god awful name he had given himself. She could have spent more time researching both of them, but part of her wanted to know less and have Harry fill in the blanks for her. If he did know him like her mother suggests then he would give her the real story about him, not this basic history book. She didn't want any biased re-telling of history to cloud her judgment of her father.

After going to the library, she promptly went to the Congress building, marched into her boss' office and quit on the spot. Her boss didn't seem too broken up over the news, as he would easily find someone to replace her job filing paperwork. She could have asked for a leave of absence, seeing as she would eventually return to the states, but the thought of have to face that man again made Eleanor physically ill.

Now, she paces her room while her packed suitcase sits on her bed. No going back now. Her mother helped her arrange a portkey through the government to send her to London. From London she would apparate herself to Godric's Hollow.

Ever since Celeste told her about her father, Eleanor has begun to write more. Mostly train of thoughts pertaining to Sirius Black as well as a running list of questions she would like to ask Harry. But the longer the list became and later in the night she stayed up writing, the questions soon turned into ones that she would want to ask her father herself. If she could. But she can't, and she knows that.

Eleanor shakes her head and then her entire body as if she wants to repel the anxiety that is coursing through her bloodstream. _This is what you wanted, you idiot._

"How's the packing going," Celeste yells from the kitchen ripping Eleanor from her thoughts.

"All done! Just have to pack my backpack with some books and my journal," Eleanor replies picking up her dusty leather backpack her mother gave to her years ago.

"You know, when I was over there, the best stories I had were from Amsterdam...you ever heard of the red-light district?" Celeste had been helping Eleanor make an itinerary for herself of places to travel to when she was over there.

_You have to go to Germany for the pierogis alone, Eleanor._

_Oh Elle, the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna...the most beautiful place in the world you could spend all day there!_

_Make sure you hike the highlands in Scotland!_

"Mom, I am aware of the red-light district, please I beg of you do not go further into detail. I would not like to know what my poor innocent mother has seen...or _done_ for that matter," Eleanor groaned as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and grabbed her suitcase from her bed. As she walked out of her room, she saw her mother leaning against the counter with her arms crossed.

"Oh, c'mon entertain me."

"Absolutely not"

"I met this group the first night I was there, and they convinced me go to this sex show—"

"Stop, please"

"And we get there, and this woman comes on stage fully _nude_ —"

"I will get down on my hands and knees and beg if you do not shut up"

"Then she spreads her ­legs and—"

By this point Eleanor has crossed their tiny apartment over to the kitchen and clasped her hand over her Mother's mouth before she could continue her story. Celeste was laughing under her daughter's hand then she promptly licked it as well.

"Ew, gross!" Eleanor pulled her hand back in disgust and wiped it on her pants, but she was laughing along with her mother who was cackling in front of her.

"You feel better now?" Celeste said.

"What do you mean?"

"Just because your door was closed doesn't mean I didn't know you were pacing in there working yourself up about your father and Harry Potter," Celeste pointed her finger at Eleanor. Celeste always knew.

"I hate that you know me too well," Eleanor said smacking her mom's finger out of her face, "Thank you for the distraction, even though the thought of you at a sex show will haunt me for the rest of my life."

"Admit it. You're going to miss me," Celeste said. Of course, Eleanor was. This was a whole new chapter of her life she was beginning, and her mother wouldn't be there to help her navigate it along the way. This was the same feeling as when she first left for school at Ilvermorny.

Eleanor was always around magic, seeing as Celeste was a witch herself. However, Celeste never felt like she fit in the wizarding world and chose to get a No-Maj job and live in a No-Maj neighborhood in New York City, so her use of magic was strictly within the confines of their tiny 2-bedroom apartment. Celeste saw Eleanor distribute magical abilities young and because of that she never wanted to hide that part of her life from her because she knew when turned 11, she would receive a letter from Ilvermonry. Still, Eleanor was quite shocked at how much more there was to magic and the wizarding world when arriving to the school since the only witch she knew was her mother. Eleanor was quick to adapt and soon found fast friends and became a bright young witch by the time she left school and had a passion unlike her mother to stay in that world. Eleanor finally felt like she found her place in life.

Eleanor would also be coming back a different person after this trip, just like she did when she came back from her first year at school. Eleanor would change after learning about her father, she knew that, and Celeste knew that. In what way, they didn't know and that frightened both them, but they would never tell the other that.

"I'll miss you more than you could possibly know. I will try to write as much as I can when I'm there," Eleanor replied to her mother taking her hand in hers and squeezing it. Celeste squeezed back.

"If you don't leave now, it'll just get harder for me to let you go. But I know this is what you have to do," Celeste spoke, her voice breaking as she tried to hold back her tears, "I love you; I'll miss you. I hope you get what you are looking for."

Eleanor pulled her mother in for a tight hug, said her goodbyes and then walked out the door without looking back.

~ ~ ~

"He doesn't really want to see anyone today. Spending time with just the family before holidays are over." A voice said from behind Eleanor.

Eleanor had been pacing in front of the home of Harry Potter for 20 minutes now trying to get up the courage to knock on the door. The portkey to London went smoothly and she spent a day exploring the city before she apparated into Godric's Hollow. Now, here she is. The answers to her questions lay beyond the front door of the large yellow house at the end of the street. She must have looked like a crazy person, as she also began mumbling to herself trying to convince herself to go through with the plan. So, she was not surprised when someone finally confronted her about her erratic behavior. She turned around to see a tall lanky boy with freckles splattered across his face in loose brown trousers and an over-sized dark navy wool sweater that had a large _T_ stitched into it. The most noticeable thing about the stranger, though, was the bright blue hair that fell perfectly in place on his head.

"Uh, excuse me?" Eleanor said confused at his statement.

"Mr. Potter. That's why you're standing in front of his house? Because you want to meet him, get a picture with him or whatever," the blue hair boy waved his hand in the direction of the yellow house.

"Well...yes and no," Eleanor said, not quite sure how to respond. He squinted his eyes confused but kept quiet so she could explain herself more. He also picked up her American accent, which confused him even more. There's very few Americans that have come to visit the infamous boy who lived.

"My mother told me he knew my father. From the war.... I never did so I wanted to ask him some questions," Eleanor admitted to him, however, made a point not to go into too much detail as this was still just a random stranger that walked up to her on the street. He didn't need to know any more about Eleanor and her relation to Sirius Black.

The boy's eye's softened now and he stuck his hand in his pockets and turned to face the house lost in thought. After a few moments he finally turned towards the mystery girl in front of him with hauntingly beautiful grey eyes and said,

"He'll answer your questions, don't worry about him saying no. I don't think he could ever turn down someone. But even though he won't admit it, talking about the past pains him. I hear your accent, so I know you aren't from here, which means you can't imagine what the war was really like for us over here. There's deep trauma there, especially for him. So, don't push him on it too much,"

Eleanor turned so her whole body was now facing the boy and cocked her head to the side as she wondered exactly who he was and how he seemed to know so much about Harry Potter. The boy also now turned to face her too and he gave her a soft smile, "don't worry, he doesn't bite."

She replied with a snort and rolled her eyes. She then took a deep breath, shook the nerves out and began to walk towards the front door. As she was walking, she heard from behind her the blue hair boy yell, "Good Luck!"

She smiled to herself and shook her head as she reached the door and before she could second guess it, she knocked twice on the white-wooden door. She tapped her foot anxiously and then heard voices from behind the door.

"I'll get it!"

"Hey! We're in the middle of a chess game, Albus, let Dad get it. I know you are running away because you are avoiding the fact that you are about to lose!"

"In your dreams, James you haven't beaten me ever and it's not going to start today!"

"Shh boys sit down I've got it"

The last voice was much deeper than the others and closer to the door, Eleanor could tell. Soon enough the door flew open and there he stood. The boy who lived. Although he wasn't so much a boy anymore. He wore loose trousers and long sleeve maroon shirt over top that complemented his dark skin. Grey streaks began peeking through his black hair, but his face still had that boyish charm with a hint of wrinkles around his eyes. He still wore the same rounded glasses that he had in the pictures Eleanor saw of him when he was younger and through the strands of hair that fell across his face, she could see the faded lighting scar etched across his forehead.

"Hello, may I help you?" Harry said looking down on the tiny girl that stood in front of him. All the planning on what she would say went out the window. She could feel the word vomit come up from her stomach into her through her throat and before she could stop herself, she blurted out,

"I'm Sirius Black's daughter and I was hoping you could answer some of my questions," 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally starting to get interesting!! I can't wait for what's in store. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this, I'm enjoying writing it so much already. Have a great week guys <3 
> 
> -H


	4. Part Four

Eleanor is seated on the soft brown couch with a hot cup of tea in her hand that she was tapping at a rapid pace to try and calm her nerves. The ring on her finger made soft dinging noises as it collided with the mug. Along with her hands, her right leg was tapping on the wooden floor as she looked around nervously taking in the small cottage the Potter’s lived in. It was smaller than she anticipated. For a war hero like Harry Potter, _the chosen one_ , she expected an estate…or something along those lines. Instead, she was sat in a small house that perfectly fits his family. The living room, where she is located, had toys strewn across the floor, old cups half filled with juice littered the coffee table along with multiple sheets of paper that looked like essays with markings on them. The walls that enclosed her held multiple moving photos of Harry, a red hair woman she assumed was his wife and three children all varying in different ages depending on the photo. She also noted there were _many_ other red heads in different pictures, a dark-skinned woman with curly hair that tumbled in every direction, and now that she’s getting a closer look is…that _the blue hair boy?_

“How old are you?” she snapped her head forward, pulled out of her thoughts by Harry who walked into the living room with his own cup of tea. He sat down across from her in an armchair, legs crossed. Surprisingly, Harry took her declaration on his doorstep with stride. He invited her in, while shooing away two young boys to their backyard to “help Mom and Lily with the garden,” all the while not ever taking his wide eyes off of her. He would be dumb to admit that the second he looked into the girl’s eyes he didn’t see his Godfather. That was the one thing that didn’t make him immediately slam the door in her face and curse her for a horrible prank. Her eyes and a small voice in the back of his head was telling him that he had to hear her story.

“I’m twenty” Eleanor replied, now quite shy. She now seemed to be at a loss for words after the upchuck she had when Harry first opened the door for her.

“Hm,” was all Harry responded as he sipped his tea, “and your name again?”

“Eleanor Aries…well Orion Eleanor Aries, but I go by my middle name. Always have,”

“You’re first name is Orion?” Harry sat up a little straighter now.

“Yeah, I never understood why I was given that name really, until a few weeks ago. Mom said she named me after him…it was his middle name, right?” Harry only nodded in response, now deep in thought. His lips ticked up in a small smirk like he was reminiscing on something.

“It was his father’s name. I don’t think he would like you being named after him, so it’s quite fitting you go by your middle name,” he finally responded. _Didn’t like his father_. One new thing she now knew about him.

“Really? Well, I don’t think my mother knew that. She thought she was honoring him or something…she didn’t really know him that well. Hence, why I’m here,”

“Can I ask about the relationship between your mother and him. I’m just trying to wrap my head around when Sirius could’ve had a relationship that resulted in a baby during that time,” Harry laughed a little and was now leaning forward putting his mug on the table then setting his elbows on his knees.

“Of course…I don’t know much about that either. Mom never talked about him, only just got her to open up about him. Didn’t even know his name. But from what she said is that it was a small affair that didn’t last long…but had long lasting effects”—she waved her hand gesturing to herself—"She left to the states at the request of him, found out she was pregnant soon after but had no way to contact him…and I guess he died soon after I was born,”

He hummed and they fell into silence once again. She cleared her throat uncomfortably.

“She knew you had some relationship with him, that’s why she sent me here. She figured you would know a lot more about him than she ever did. I know you probably only fought in the war together so maybe your knowledge about him is just as much as my mom’s, but I had to follow the lead I was given. I would take crumbs at this point,” she laughs uncomfortably realizing she was rambling a bit.

“Just fought in the war together…” he chuckles to himself under his breath. _What did they teach over the pond?_ He thought to himself, “I think we might need more tea before we get to talking about your father…my Godfather,”

She almost chokes on her tea. _Godfather??_

Harry leaves to the kitchen, taking both their cups to refill with more tea. She peaked her head into the kitchen from the couch to see him open the door in the kitchen that leads to the backyard and call over the red hair woman from the pictures. He whispers to her and she turns to Eleanor with wide eyes. Eleanor suddenly felt like she was under a microscope and quickly looked away turning her focus to her fingernails, which she picked at to try and calm her nerves. This was not the way she thought this conversation was going to go.

A couple minutes later, Harry returns with the mugs newly filled with hot tea. He sets her downs in front her and gives her a small smile as a way to comfort her. He then takes his place in his chair across from her. He takes a sip of his tea and takes a deep sigh before setting it back down on the table.

“My afternoon took an interesting turn when you showed up on my doorstep, Eleanor. I thought my day was just going to consist of keeping my boys from fighting and tearing each other’s heads off while trying to finish grading the rest of my student’s term papers. I’d like to thank you for making it much more exciting…I must admit I don’t talk about Sirius that much…” he pauses as if he’s trying to think of the right words to say, “It can be…hard to discuss someone like your father. His loss was very big for me.”

Eleanor set down her cup on the coffee table, leaning forward hanging onto every word Harry Potter was telling her.

Harry told her everything. From their first encounter at Hogwarts in his third year, to their relationship onward and his eventual death. He told her all about his vibrant and charming, albeit very stubborn, personality; how he was supposed to move in with Sirius after his escape from Azkaban and the war, but fate had other plans. While Harry was limited in this knowledge as well, he tried to tell her about Sirius’ time at Hogwarts as a student, along with his father, mother and their two other best friends, Remus and Peter. He talked about the Marauders and the mischief they got up to, he thought out loud about how carefree they must have been before the war. He also mentioned about the betrayal of Peter that ended in Sirius’ wrongful imprisonment for the death of his parents. He talked for what seemed like hours and Eleanor sat quietly listening, sometimes laughing when Harry retold a funny joke Sirius told but for the most part, she tried her hardest not to cry in front of him. She finally feels like she knows Sirius, but that means she knows the pain of his past, the tragedy of his death and the grief he left behind in his absence.

The sun had started to go down and the bright hues of the sunset peaked through the window reflecting off of Harry’s caramel skin. Harry took note of the time and looked at Eleanor, “How long are you in town for?”

“Oh, uhm, well no set time. Depended on how this conversation went. A few days I suppose, then traveling around Europe for a few months. You know the whole “finding myself” sort of thing,” She replied.

“I would like if you stayed a little bit longer. I enjoyed this conversation, more than I thought I would. I would also like to get to know you better,” Harry said, “Where are you staying?”

“An inn a little bit outside of town,”

“Stay here. No need to pay for a room. You can have James’ room while you are here. He’ll bunk up with Albus for a little. He won’t mind,” Eleanor laughed mostly because she knew even without meeting James, he would not like having to room with his younger brother while a stranger takes his room. She also laughed because of shock. This was _definitely_ not how she thought this day was going to go.

“Only if you feel comfortable, no pressure,” Harry quickly said after her outburst of laughter, reading her response wrong.

“Oh no! Sorry—thank you—I just can’t believe this is happening,” she lightly chuckled again shaking her head, “Yes I would love to stay here if that’s not too much trouble,”

“None at all, Ginny would love it,” Harry smiled at her while standing up, Eleanor stood up with him as well, “Speaking of my lovely wife. She will want to get dinner going, why don’t you grab your stuff from the inn and by the time you come back dinner should be ready, and you can meet the rest of the Potter clan,”

Eleanor replied with a nod and a wide grin on her face, “Ok. Thank you…Mr. Potter,”

“Call me Harry, please,”

“Thank you, Harry,” she said reaching her hand out to shake his hand, not knowing what else to do to end the conversation. Hugging seemed a little weird. Harry chuckled and took it shaking it tightly, “Truly. I never thought in a million years this is where I would end up, talking about my father. I know you said it was hard to talk about him, so thank you for speaking to me,”

Instead of Harry letting go, he squeezed her hand tighter and placed his other hand on top of hers enclosing it with another squeeze, “No need to thank me. I should be thanking you. I haven’t talked about Sirius like that in a very long time…it was cathartic for me. Also, when I was talking to you, looking at you, it felt like I was talking to him. You have his eyes,”

Eleanor looked up at him with a smile. She nodded knowing there was nothing more to say. She took her hand back and walked towards the door and as she was walking out, she noticed the blue hair boy sitting on the curb across the street exactly where she left him hours earlier.

_Why is he still here?_

She remembers seeing him in pictures in the Potter house and she once again cocks her head to the side in confusion at this boy. She turned around to Harry and waved once more promising to return quickly with her bags and for dinner. Once the door was closed, she swiftly turned back around to the curious boy and narrowed her eyes as she stalked towards him. He was scuffing his feet and failed to notice that she was marching towards him until she was standing above him.

“Did you wait for me outside this whole time?” She questioned with hands on her hips. He looked up and quickly jumped up to his feet, startled. Now he stood over a foot above her as she craned her neck up to his face trying to keep eye contact.

“Oh…uh yes, sorry. Just wanted to make sure you were okay,” He said rubbing his neck nervously.

“Why?” Eleanor wasn’t mad at this, just curious as to who this boy was and why he seemed to care.

“I know what it’s like to lose someone to the war without ever getting to know them. Eats you up inside, no matter how much you try to ignore it,”

“Who are you? I saw you in pictures inside the house. Makes sense you know him after hearing how you spoke about him before I went inside.”

The boy held out his hand with a crooked smile, “Teddy Lupin,”

 _Lupin_. She knows that name now. She takes his hand, “Eleanor Aries, pleased to meet you,”

“To answer your question, Harry is like family to me. Parents died in the war when I was baby and he, along with my grandmother, raised me like their own…He’s pretty amazing, right?”

“Yeah, he is,” she replied thoughtfully, “I’m sorry about your parents…can I ask who they were? Harry just mentioned someone earlier with the name Lupin didn’t know if you were related or anything.”

“Oh yeah my dad, Remus. He was his professor at Hogwarts for a year. Close friends with his father when they went to school,”

“Oh! Same here!” She said excitedly, which confused Teddy even more, “Our fathers were friends too! How cool is that?”

“Sorry, friends?”

“Yeah! My dad is Sirius Black. Just discovered that this year, which is why I’m here. Trying to learn more about him and all that. Sorry I didn't mention it earlier, didn't know if I could trust you or not” Eleanor wiggled her eyebrows playfully at him while Teddy stared at her wide eyed. _Sirius Black had a kid?_

“Well, that must have been a shock for Harry,” Teddy laughs lightly picturing Harry’s face when he found out.

“Oh definitely”

They stare at each other in silence for a little until Teddy jumps, startled by his own thoughts.

“Hey! That means we are related,”

“Related?” Eleanor creased her eyebrows together. _Another surprise?_

“Yeah, my Grandmother, my mom’s mom, is a Black. Guess that makes us cousins…or something…,” He pondered.

“We should figure that out,” Eleanor suggests, “…I would like to meet your Grandmother if that’s alright,”

“She would love it! Oh wow, I got to see the look on her face when I bring you over. Ha, she might faint. Well, actually let’s hope not. She’s got a weak heart and I don’t think that would end well,” Teddy said, his topaz eyes were glistening in the last few rays of sunshine still in the sky, “Want to come over now?”

“Oh well, actually I got to go get my stuff from the inn. Harry offered me a room at his place, and I got to get back to dinner,” she said softly now feeling bad that she has to turn down Teddy.

“No problem, I can bring you over tomorrow if you’d like,” He said without missing a beat. Eleanor could tell from this, from him offering his support before he even knew her, to then waiting around for her to check in after her conversation, that he was too kind for his own good.

“You could come to dinner tonight,” she suggested without even realizing what she was saying, “Uh, I mean I guess it’s not my place to invite people over to the Potter’s, but since you said you were family, I don’t think they would mind…and I would like it if you were there,”

He gave her another crooked smile, “Harry wouldn’t mind at all. Haven’t been over there since Christmas. I think he misses me,”

“Awesome!” Eleanor said, “Well, I better go get my stuff from the inn. I’ll see you at dinner?”

“I can walk with you, if you want. Keep you company. I’d like to hear everything about you and what Harry said about Sirius Black,” Teddy looked at her trying to read her facial expressions. He didn’t want to step over any boundaries, but he felt a deep connection to her. A strange feeling like they’ve known each other forever. What he didn’t know was that Eleanor was feeling the exact same way.

“I would love that,” She said while starting her trek to the inn, “It’s about a mile away. I’d walked here before too, thought a long walk before would calm my nerves. As you could see from the state you met me in, that it did not.”

Teddy laughed at that following in stride next to her.

“So, what’s with the blue hair, Rockstar?” She pointed at his hair. He turned towards her with a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

“Oh? You don’t like it? How about purple, then?” His hair then faded from the light blue to a deep purple. Eleanor jumped back with her eyes wide. She then had her own mischievous grin,

“Sick.”


End file.
